Putting these train routes into operation aims to promote regional connectivity, contributing to the development of local tourism activities.
Recently, Mr. Le Quang Nam, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City, sent an official dispatch to the People's Committees of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces, requesting to create favorable conditions for Phu Quoc Express Joint Stock Company to exploit tourism by high-speed boat on the route Da Nang - Cu Lao Cham (Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province) - Ly Son Island (Ly Son District, Quang Ngai Province).
Good for the people, Hoi An supports
After receiving the document from the Da Nang City People's Committee, Mr. Le Van Dung, Chairman of the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee, assigned the Hoi An City People's Committee to study and resolve the matter according to its authority. Talking to a reporter from the Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Van Son, Chairman of the Hoi An City People's Committee, said that the city is considering a project to bring tourists from Da Nang port to Cu Lao Cham island by Phu Quoc Express's high-speed boat. "The viewpoint is to support this because the number of tourists visiting Cu Lao Cham island has recently decreased, so it is necessary to diversify the source of tourists. Moreover, this route has been included in the route planning by the Ministry of Transport. At the same time, if implemented, it will ensure safety for tourists and benefit the people on the island," Mr. Son shared.
The Da Nang - Ly Son waterway tourist boat route of Phu Quoc Express only operated for a short time and then stopped until now. Photo: BICH VAN
According to the Chairman of Hoi An City People's Committee, taking tourists by speedboat from Da Nang to Cu Lao Cham will not affect the Cu Lao Cham - Hoi An World Biosphere Reserve because the number of tourists will be regulated daily to suit the reality.
Mr. Nguyen Phong, Director of the Department of Transport of Quang Ngai province, confirmed that he had received a document proposing to operate the Da Nang - Ly Son route. "Previously, Quang Ngai province agreed to operate the Da Nang - Ly Son transport route, but after running the first few trips, because there were no passengers, the company stopped operating. The company also did not notify Quang Ngai province. If the company intends to continue operating this route, the company needs to work with the Department of Transport of Quang Ngai province again. Based on the proposal, the Maritime Port Authority will consider reopening the route for the company," said Mr. Phong.
Why did the Da Nang - Ly Son route "die young"?
It is known that in March 2022, Phu Quoc Express launched the Da Nang - Ly Son Island waterway cruise ship route. Accordingly, the Trung Trac ship serving this route is designed according to European standards. The ship can serve up to nearly 600 passengers and shorten the travel time from Da Nang to Ly Son to just over 2 hours. At the beginning of operation, Phu Quoc Express is expected to have a frequency of 4 trips/week, with ticket prices ranging from 590,000 to 720,000 VND/trip for economy class and 900,000 VND/trip for VIP class. However, after a short period of operation, in July 2022, Phu Quoc Express temporarily suspended the operation of this route due to low demand, with only about 20 passengers per trip.
Mr. Vu Van Khuong, General Director of Phu Quoc Express, said that the problem with the Da Nang - Cu Lao Cham route is that the Cu Lao Cham inland waterway port is not suitable for receiving seagoing vessels. Therefore, the company proposed to cooperate and link with the Cu Lao Cham inland waterway port management board to survey and upgrade the port to be able to receive seagoing vessels according to the regulations of the Ministry of Transport. "If Hoi An allows, we will support the investment costs. The locality will not lose anything but will collect money, and tourism will develop more. In addition, the high-speed boat can run in weather conditions of level 8-9, while currently, when the wind is level 5, vehicles going to Cu Lao Cham must stop" - Mr. Khuong acknowledged.
Talking about the reason why the Da Nang - Ly Son waterway tourist boat route was only implemented for a short time and then temporarily suspended due to ineffectiveness, partly because the ticket price was still high. Currently, Phu Quoc Express is rebuilding the route to save costs and input to make the ticket price more suitable. However, the underlying reason is that the company could not sign a contract extension with the Port Management Board and the Quang Ngai Inland Waterways Port Authority. Mr. Khuong said that the unit wanted to be free to sell tickets, while the Port Management Board and the Quang Ngai Inland Waterways Port Authority required signing a contract for this unit to sell tickets "exclusively". Mr. Khuong said that selling tickets "exclusively" could easily lead to negative consequences, affecting the company's customers. It was also for this reason that Phu Quoc Express's Sa Ky - Ly Son high-speed boat route had to stop after only a short time of operation.
"If everything goes well, our ship will run from Da Nang to Cu Lao Cham - Ly Son, then there will be 2 connecting trips from Ly Son to Sa Ky, forming a closed arc. For many years, we have invested a lot of money to build the Da Nang - Ly Son route, but the results are not as expected. I myself really want to build this tourist route to connect the regions, but if we keep the monopoly on ticket sales, we cannot do it, we may have to "let go" - Mr. Khuong shared.
Mr. Nguyen Phong said that the enterprise's proposal to do the whole package of selling tickets, renting the port... is impossible. Because the port is state property, if a vehicle wants to dock, it must register and pay fees, and cannot be rented to a single enterprise to operate.
Hope to soon exploit the Da Nang - Cu Lao Cham route
Mr. Vu Van Khuong believes that exploiting the Da Nang - Cu Lao Cham tourist route by expressway will be effective because the construction unit has very competitive prices and attractive tourism products. Mr. Khuong hopes that the People's Committee of Hoi An City will speed up the procedures and create favorable conditions for the unit to be able to launch the tourist route on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Quang Nam province and Da Nang city at the end of March 2025.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/go-kho-cho-tau-cao-toc-tuyen-da-nang-cu-lao-cham-ly-son-196241112195822483.htm
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